OFF: Earplugs revisited

[Guido Vacano]

Paul says--

> Well, the Metallica here gig looms large (it's tomorrow), so I thought I'd
> ask again about earplugs.  All I managed to find locally were those foam
> ones, at a local chemist.

A "local chemist" in Blacksburg, VA? ;-)

> They stocked several flavours, the main
> difference being in the decibel rating, which was between about 18 and 29.

I confess that I've never worn earplugs to a concert either, but it seems
reasonable that you'd want to cut the higher frequencies a bit, and that you
probably want a "low end" decibel rating. However, if they don't cost too much,
you might want to get both a "low end" and a "high end" pair, and see which
works best.

> Of course, the real solution to this problem is to find out what type of
> earplugs the sound engineer will be wearing, and to use the same brand and
> model. In theory, the gig will sound *perfect*. :-)
>
> Btw, last time this topic cropped up, someone mentioned high-priced,
> tailor-made earplugs---"musicians earplugs."  Well, I did a bit of
> investigating about these, and the big deal about them is the fact that
> they have a flat attenuation curve, i.e. they cut the sound by the same
> amount across the audible frequency spectrum (unlike regular foam earplugs
> which cut it more at higher frequencies).  I guess we could call them
> "audiophile earplugs." :-)

Unless these are prohibitively expensive they might be the best choice. If they
do cost an arm and a leg, then you might want to get a cheap pair with a
comparable decibel rating.

I envy you. I didn't hear about the Metallica concert (or it didn't register :-)
), and they're one of the few remaining bands I'd pay money to see. I hope it's
a great show! :-)

Guido

obCDplayer--Frank Zappa Plays the Music of Frank Zappa

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